2025 JC1 ASRJC P1A3 Essay Outlines

P1A3 questions for reference 1. How justifiable is it for a country to shut its door on refugees? (SRJC 2015 J1 Promo) 2. How important is loyalty in the world today? (AJC 2017 J1 MYCT) 3. Is a longer life expectancy always desirable? (ASRJC 2021 J1 Promo) 4. How effective has your government been in maintaining harmony in your society? (SAJC 2017) 5. Citizenship is nothing but a piece of paper. Is this true of your society? (SRJC 2016 Promo) Question 1 1. How justifiable is it for a country to shut its door on refugees? (SRJC 2015 J1 Promo) Question Analysis Issue: What reasons can a (recipient) country have for not accepting refugees? What moral and pragmatic considerations can we weigh? Context: Global Situation today: a great surge in number of refugees seeking a safe place in a foreign country (can be either in a developed or developing country) Conceptual Understanding: • Demonstrate the ability to see connections across topics. e.g. How war and conflict can precipitate refugee crises; how the issue of refugees is as much a politics and governance issue as it is an international relations one; how the environment crisis could trigger a refugee crisis, etc. • Demonstrate the ability to appreciate different contexts. E.g. In the context of wealthier countries, shutting doors on refugees would seem to be much more unjustifiable, as compared to the context of poorer countries. Key words: ‘a country’: any country – both developed and developing countries, must be across national borders ‘shut its door’: not allowing refugees to come in, not allowing cross-border migration of refugees ‘refugees’: people who are forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster, political and economic refugees ‘Justifiable’: based on moral and pragmatic reasons – look at what should and what can be done, weighing consequences accepting refugees would have on the recipient country: moral and pragmatic considerations are to be discussed Moral reasoning:

• Humanitarian reasons: plight of the refugees – would not taking them in be tantamount to condemning them to death since going back to the country of origin would likely mean a serious threat to life? • When there is a conflict between the moral duty of a government towards its own people and in ensuring basic human rights of the refugees, how should a government decide? Pragmatic Reasoning • The implications of accepting and not accepting refugees, e.g. international fallout/backlash and the sentiments of its citizens; cost to economy, safety, resources. • Is there a viable alternative of responding to the desperate needs of refugees without hosting them, eg tackling the existing problem which led to refugees fleeing the country? • Would allowing refugees lead to an even greater, uncontrollable influx of more refugees? Significant aspects/areas to be discussed (5W1H, Multiple Perspectives, Signif